MacAskill warns on jail replacement

Group Political Editor

Friday 27 April 2012

CORNTON Vale prison will be closed, Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill has confirmed, but he warned its replacement cannot be "magicked out of the air".

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Brian Currie

Mr MacAskill told MSPs he accepted the recommendations of Dame Elish Angiolini that Scotland's only all women jail near Stirling was "not fit for purpose" and that it should be replaced with a smaller specialist prison for long-term and high-risk prisoners and regional units to hold short-term and remand prisoners.

The Justice Secretary said the report did not cause ministers "significant concern" and he accepted the jail "was not fit for purpose". Mr MacAskill said: "I accept the logic and direction intimated by Dame Elish Angiolini, but a prison can't be just magicked out the air, either in terms of the cost of it or in terms of the construction of it."Labour justice spokesman Lewis MacDonald pledged Labour's support for the Government's bid to find alternatives to female imprisonment.He said: "While the flagship proposal is to replace Cornton Vale with a new facility for those offenders whose crimes do warrant custodial sentences, it is equally important the Government explores all the options when it comes to finding long-term solutions to low-risk offenders."Conservative spokesman David McLetchie said women were under-represented in the prison population.He said "women commit approximately 16% of all crimes" but "women in prison as a percentage of the total prison population is less than 6%".

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MacAskill warns on jail replacement

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